Fisette Elected Arlington Board Chair

For the fifth time in his 19 years on the County Board, Jay Fisette was unanimously elected County Board chair. Fisette is the most senior member of the Board.

“You don’t come in and pick a new issue as County Board chair,” said Fisette, “You focus on the biggest things.”

For Arlington right now, Fisette says the biggest thing is the Metro.

“Nothing is more important than resolving Metro in the long term,” said Fisette. “We built our community and economy around the Metro. We will find a way [to ensure quality] but we don’t know what that is yet. Finding a new dedicated funding source is going to be a big part of that.”

In the short term, Fisette said Arlingtonians could see fare increases and decreases in service. But Metro isn’t the only concern for Arlington across the Potomac. Fisette says an unstable federal government could be a major issue for Arlington.

“One basic concern is with borrowing money,” said Fisette. “We have a AAA bond rating in Arlington, but in the last few months the bond markets have been more volatile. It could cost us more for our bonds in the future.”

On Thursday, Jan. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Fisette will speak with residents about upcoming initiatives and answer questions at the George Mason University Arlington Campus in the multi-purpose room.